Equestria: As We Know It
by Agony-Ievos
Summary: This is Equestria: As We Know It.
1. Those Bastards!

Introduction.

"Those Bastards!"

A groan of entreating despair etched in the azure coated pony's ear at an astounding volume. The unicorn pony focused her fore hoofs to stimulate the rotting pegasus corpse from sneaking a sample of her insides, holding back in embracing stamina. The ground steadied the desperate pony in her fight for her life, as a wail barked near her left.

"Spinet!"

Spinet recognized the vocalized call in an instant.

"See Saw! Grab my gun, quick!"

The filly, paralyzed from her skull to hoofs, gathered her surroundings quickly but was unable to impel her strength from her struck gaze to Spinet, who of which was helplessly fumbling to escape the walking virus atop her.

"Snap out of it!" The yellow painted filly blinked into reality and raced toward the satchel fallen to her left, speeding her way through the bag to reveal the flintlock. See Saw equipped the lethal object with her magic, aiming it toward the enemy hovered over the struggling pony. The gun shook frantically in the filly's enchantment, causing a bottle of urine to sprint down her back hooves from the fear involved.

A crackle suddenly rocketed at the undead pony, a bullet plunged fairly in the depths of its head. Spinet, easing the flesh dripping pegasus off, faltered at her ability to stand.

"See Saw! What the hell is wrong with you? Learn to fucking shoot already!" The unicorn beside her stomped at the horrid filly.

"Aim Fire, I..."

"Ah, save it!" The scarlet pony dashed up to analyze her ally, crimson slithering down Spinet from the smudged remains of the rancid headless pony beside her. The stench wretched her stomach, while she spewed lumpy fluids out her sandy throat. Her nostrils flared as the smell grew even more putrid than before she threw up her wastes.

"Yah alright? Luckily I was here to end the fuckers life before he got yah. Unlike See Saw, who I need to pick an apple with," a glare was handed to the sulking filly.

"Leave her be," Spinet, striving to regain her breath. "She's only a filly."

"Oh, right. Flint Lock has the best accuracy in the group and he's much younger than her!" Aim Fire huffed, "She needs to grow a pair if yah ask me."

"I'm right here, you know," the dandelion pony hollered over her tears, awhile to overcome her paralysis from the recent occurrence.

"Good. Perhaps you'll get the hint to pull the damn trigger sometime!

"I'm sorry!"

"Nah, yah ain't!"

"Guys!" Spinet intercepted the ongoing dispute. "Let's meet up with the others now. The moon should be rising soon. We need to get going." Spinet, her flat piano striped mane now highlighted with sinking blood and brains, trotted her way to achieve her satchel. She gifted the filly a nudge of sympathy, assisting her to her scared hooves.

Aim Fire handed See Saw a vulgar expression, a glower of scorn. The adolescent pony dropped her head in panging regret.

. . . . . . . . . . .

The area darkened like an unraveled chasm, charcoal drenched the sky above the 3 ponies.

The trees swayed endlessly, shedding leaves in its movement awhile the breeze blew a winters breath through their manes. Shivers arose rapidly among the three.

The crunching sprouted beneath each step caused, tree shavings getting trampled yelped at each stride. Far out, a twig whimpered out of place, Aim Fire paused, ordering the others to follow her lead. Another shell had busted another head a second later.

Engrams young flashed abruptly to Spinet's mind.

"Hold on tight, my love." the stallion of a pink and blue mixed mane appeared.

"On my say so, run. As fast as your legs can hold up. Don't come looking for me, at any circumstance, got it?"

Spinet, hidden inconspicuously behind a jagged stone, her iris's coughing up soggy tears replied, "No...Please Pyros...I don't want you to go.."

The horned stallion, his eyes soaring deep within hers, nuzzled his cheek against Spinet, rubbing the dampness sprung from her face away.

"I love you, Spinet," His head pivoted, and then he faced Spinet for a final moment. "Run! Run, Spinet!"

"The group... They left us." Aim Fire's statement reversed Spinet's mind back into the real world. The unlit fire spoke to Spinet. The group had deserted the area entirely, leaving only faded hoof prints behind. "The traitors took everything! The supplies, the food, everything fucking thing!" Aim Fire spoke in fury; rage seeping through her veins, her muscles throbbed in anger.

"Celestia, fuck me sideways."

Spinet gawked at what her perception brought on. The rest of the herd had left See Saw, Aim Fire, and Spinet on their own. Songbirds sang hideously in the distance along with the outcries of the overpopulated plague.

"Ah shit," Aim Fire bellowed, fastening her haste. "We need tah get outta here."

Amid the zomponies stumbled to attain the boiling warmth of life, the sluggish of their paces donating the time to scurry away from view.

"Well, well, well, we've got alicorns," A green and muddy yellowed Earth pony snarled in disgusted amusement. "Scum!" The stallion sliced at the night baring alicorn, a wound hounding out bits of her blood, the decreased viscosity flowing down from her hind leg.

"Leave her be!" Atlas, blue and green striping his mane, pleaded in horror at the sight of his soul-mate being injured viciously. Cetus started intently at the blood, riding up to pound the Earth pony in the jaw, a bullet flashed at that instant, dug its way into his hind leg.

"I shall not allow resistance from you hideous fiends," trotting from across the cricketing flames, formed a shadow of a unicorn with a weapon hung over it, bewitched.

A cloak curtained the mysterious entity pacing intimidatingly, mocking her identity 'till she flung the hood from her head, revealing dark evergreen eyes of a disturbing power, the fire adjusted a deep spark in both irises. Casting a look at the bleeding weakling, she grinned comically.

"You must all pay for the chaos you've all caused."

Cetus let out a defensive cry, "We haven't done a thing. We had nothing to do with the Royalty!"

Ignoring Cetus's statement, she glared at the agonized female kneeled down to cease pressure on her searing leg. A hoof fell in the eyes of Brimstone, wet gray covering her face as the blood merged along her coat, the ground knocked heavily into her head, her breath beating out of her. The ferocious pony, feeling righteous, heighted her stance above Brimstone.

"You all have brought this on yourselves. As alicorns, you all have the blame for this misfortune caused upon all of Equestria." The anonymous pony signified. "Your faults lie amongst the fate's of all ponykind. See here, her pain represents the catastrophe you've chosen for the land. Everypony across Equestria is suffering from the insolent thoughts, not giving a mighty damn of the living surrounding you. The torture is never ending, as you're witnessing."

The noose written along the flank of the ominous pony illuminated from the nearby beaming flames, ashes carrying with the wind. The young filly being curtained from her sibling Cetus shivered her way past his blockage.

"Hey! Leave my mom alone and stop being a big slobbering weenie!" Sweet Tooth yelped, when a whip clashed against her hooves from an whi handling pony beside her, a look handed from the frustrated leader to the whipping pony. Sweet Tooth scurried behind Cetus. Brimstone, in a tone of a tortured infant, commanded, "Don't you touch her." The wet gray puddled beneath her, her hooves slide across the ground from the muddy crimson river she lays in.

Her legs wobble under her in her attempts to balance her body to stand. "Leave I and my family be.." her throat gurgled from the pint of blood in her mouth, 'We've done nothing wrong."

"Oh, Really?" A trick grew in the vicious mares eye as she pivoted around to Brimstone caught on all fours. A smile spilt from her face, swiftly turning her green iris's in the near left corner of her eye, flames ongoing in the far middle of the two facing each other, Brimstone continued to struggle against her body weight.

"Haven't done anything wrong?" The mysterious pony walked to the rear end of the blood rending black orb of pain. "My family? Not a damn thing in Celestia's book. Yours?"

Her eyes swiftly slide to a pure glare at the family of alicorns, then straight back in the eyes of Brimstone.

"Yours on the other hand, exhibit A." At the instant, the vengeance wielding unicorn raised her double front hooves to a blast in the sides of the injured pony, causing intense hurt to swelled up inside Brimstone, landing from her fall, a sizzling burn ran all around her, concealing her body to a an even darker tar.

Her vocal chords rose horrifically octaves high, her hooves flailed to escape the blazing heat for she couldn't bare. Brimstone scrambled out of the fire, rolling frantically on the ground.

The gray pony with the whip in her magic hollered in terror. "Plague! What should we d-"

"Let her burn."

"But-"

"I mean now, Quartet. Don't sympathize these ruthless bastards. This is what they deserve."

The iron frosted pony escorted her gun toward the cooking body and prayful calls for help. Hesitantly, a bullet drilled its way into the cooking Brimstone, her body then remained motionless.

Plague, the now titled mare, clenched her lightning teeth and scowled at Quartet, who had snuck the gun from her holster. Quartet's ears drooped at Plague's outburst.

"You have the audacity to go against me and go against my orders." Plague reared up in her face. "The monsters who have riddled this world into complete chaos and you stick up for them?"

"They had nothing to do with it."

"How would you know?"

"I knew them before the Reanimation. They had not a thing to do with The Royalty." Quartet answered honestly.

"Atlas had been a traveler who sold antiques. Brimstone was a wielder. Sweet tooth wasn't even born yet and Cetus was studying for a zoologist, working with another pony aiding creatures. They refused to merge their power among the rest of the alicorns."

An eerie silence was a wind around the two conversing ponies. Plague disconnected her believe of Quartet's explanations. After moments of eyes locked, Plague's glare lighten and she twisted her head, trotting off. "Cage them. We'll deal with them at dawn."


	2. Engrams, above and below

Chapter 1 ` "Engrams, above and below."

Spinet.

I saw this coming, the herd ditching us in a drop of a bass. Aim Fire had been wrathful at the sight of their disappearance, awhile See Saw just trotted behind I, sulking quietly. Her self-loathe had been an opposites attraction, being too soft to handle a weapon properly sided with being left behind with the loss of the only pony who had been kind to her and a mother figure since the passing of her sister.

Aim Fire, her sun burnt coat ravished in dry blood and a smell of not having a bath for days, curled her crudeness for being left behind. Their decision was half of her fault. If she hadn't have mocked the alpha ponies fashion on staying in the same location instead of moving forward to Canterlot, where the royals lie, then maybe we wouldn't have been deserted.

Soon before The Reanimation occurred, Equestria had been going downhill. A strange virus was invented, more common in young fillies but still going 'round, assembling the deaths of many. The first symptom had been vivid coughing, where the trachea would swell making it difficult to swallow, residing with loss of eating. The second was coughing up vast amounts of your hearts pumps of life. The third, steady beating of your heart decreasing. Then finally, your heart stops. Straight up, just like that. No plain magic could satisfy the sickness moving all around Equestria. Not even Celestia nor Luna could cease the virus on their own.

A month or so after the realization of the spreading ailment, a group of princesses and princes marched right into Canterlots' borders and sashayed into Celestia's castle, convincing her to allow them to test their entirety of their magic to brawl for a cure. The group referred themselves as The Royalty. Stupid title, yeah. But it was what they went with. Bunch of stuck up, greed groveling cannibals if you ask me. So they developed a cure, granting them all the good reason to keep on keeping on with their scientific whims on saving Equestria, which soon enough would have caused our lands to be infested more on slobbering brain dead ponies as such to the equivalent to them. They were working for a few full moons and were doing tests on fillies and newborns. Could you guess what happened next? A certain test subject had gone wrong, escaped I should say, so cliché and had accentuated my perception beforehand anyhow. So now, all of us had been vagabond. The world had been augmented in ruin, markets of debris and colours misplaced, and the constant alert that everywhere you go, you had to be attentive to your surroundings.

Now, I'm stuck with the most rue-bidding unicorn on the head of Equestria. Not an idea where to go, where to find food, nothing. We just ventured along a path of millions of dust beneath us, Aim Fire muttered curses beyond my own vocabulary, with See Saw dragging her hooves along the ground.

"Douche nuggets of a million fuck rats." Aim Fire continues to rant.

I'm so sick of this.

"Aim Fire, get over it," my eyes circling like a carousal, "You're not helping the situation with your irrational cursing."

"Ah, shove a hoof." She snarled.

"Where are we even going?" the banana coated, tear emptied filly inquired.

I couldn't honestly answer to that. Neither of us could. We were walking into nowhere, an abyss of nothingness. Night finally dropped into view, assuring us that we should keep our eyes open and remain active.

_Oh, Pyros_, I contemplate to myself. _How I wish you were here. _ Pyros Aquarious. My lost love.

The story of us dated way back when we were even fillies. He had been the smart one and I had a problem keeping contact with my work. I adored music, and that was where my priorities succumbed my attention. I had attained my cutie mark playing a keyboard. Oh, how I would love to get my hands on one right about now. So, Pyros, his thick mane like pink lemonade and baby blue skies, was where my affections lied. The day he saved me was the worst of my life, actually. It was just him and I, the day after The Reanimation commenced, and we were on our way to Fillydelphia, where my family had lived. He wanted to take me there because well, every pony said it was safe but I doubt it was, or even is.

That day, a bat pony had hovered over us, flapping above us. Without notice, my head was slammed into a rock. The coal winged pony had pushed me with all its might. I felt the wet warm liquid that trickled down my nose. I had no idea what was going on. My vision faded into a void. I had awakened to a worrying Pyros. Then, the memory of when he told me to run incorporated in my thoughts. I often wondered 6 months later from now, where he is. Guess I'll truly never know.

CETUS.

Sadness washed over me like a cold dripping shower flowing over my head. I mean, I just saw the death of my mother for crying out loud. I've only ever lost one pony that was family. My mentor. . . my friend. . . The greatest scientist in all of Equestria, my grandfather. Sitting in this cage, all I could really do was cradled my shaken sister and witness the bravest pony I knew in existence tremble from incoherent heartache.

My fathers eyes were bloodshot and filled to the brim with tears of saddened anger. My father lost his father in this raging apocalypse and now the mare that had his heart. She was murdered, riding along with line of death, was also his heart. I wish I could inform him of the truth about his fathers demise or I was the reason for the starting of the tragedy in the first place. The dolefulness of my surroundings sent me spiraling back to that wretched memory. The day Equestria transformed into a world of an undead plague. I had the behavior of an adolescent pony trying not to grow up too fast but then again, I compelled myself to being a hard worker and pushing myself to reach my goal, to become a zoologist for I had a intense love for the creatures.

~The Lab~

"Hey, Fluttershy!" I schemed into a non-distinct whisper in attempts to frighten her, I thought she was adorable when scared so I gave in to my chances.

The rawness of her silk hopped along with her lemon body. She had coughed out a cute yelp, as per usual.

"Oh! Cetus. You scared me," stuttered the fur raised pegasus, her hoof scraping the ground nervously.

"So I just talked Grampy into taking us to the labs today," I grinned mischievously, "Such a vulnerable elder pony. "

"Really? He agreed to let us go over to the lab?"

"Well, of course. He's cool for an old stallion. The only problemo is. . . you getting there."

"Huh?" Fluttershy tilted her head in confusion.

"Well. . . regular ponies are not really supposed to let in for exploration of the area BUT if we make it towards his office with being noticed then perhaps. . ."

Fluttershy had not been to thrilled about the sneaking around but she was yearning to get in that lab, her curiosity of how the animals were being treated, with the side of her companion Angel Bunny being one of the test subjects. I was in dripping fortitude to bring her there so they could reunite.

"C'mon. Lets go." I dragged her along with me, clopping our way to his office.

Two guards stood like knight armor suits in a castle hallway, waiting for any trespassers to trot their way in unaccounted for.

I think to myself, _how are we gonna top this off?_

"Tag! You're it!" I slap her flank with my hoof and wing myself down past the guards, the velocity of my speed overflowing.

Fluttershy takes a moment then flies after me.

_Good. They know me well and think that I would be completely loyal. I am but this is for a perfectly good reason._

When I was sure we were out of the guards view, I slugged my wings pace, slowing my hooves to the ground to signal Fluttershy that we could disperse the diversion. My ears perked to the clamp of her hooves settling on the porcelain tiles holding us afloat.

"Do you think they noticed us?" She interrogated the situation.

"Fat chance, now let's get a move on."

We made our path to my Grampy's office, the paintings of numerous past and present ponies colored the moon plastered walls in definite shape. The hoofsteps that made impact to the floor beneath us echoed throughout, with not a guard around to question.

_How odd._ We came across the entrance, I was on the cusp of pushing the door open until my friend and companion stopped me dead in my place. She gave me a gaze of a confounded pony in their first realization in lucid dreaming.

"Uhm... Cetus?" She uttered softy, her voice was like being wrapped in a blanket on Hearths Warming Eve, so overly serene and dreamy.

"Yes?" "You. . .Why did you touch my bare flank?"

I experienced my pupils dilated in marvel.

"Uhm. Uh."

In that second, the door went ajar and a dash of breath winded from me. I purposely leaned against the slightly crack door that I had already spilt open a bit from when I pushed it from before.

"Hello?" Scruffy and elderly as his voice was, I was relieved to hear from him.

_Phew. _

I praised to Celestia forcing the door to gape to where I could follow through into his office, beckoning the sweet, creamy Fluttershy along beside me. The stallion stood colossal, his powder green mane to the peanut buttered coat. His tag that had balanced on his desk, written in crystal gray, freshly identified him as Plum Pudding. The room was a boiled silver with a hint of pure, unsanitary vanilla above the surface. The hedges were fashioned with medallions that flashed a wink into your eye, a picture dangled stationary with the body of a lightened chestnut, referred as my Grampy alongside former Princess Twilight Sparkle. The gold medal indicated that he had won some sort of reward for being scientist of the year or some sort of thing.

A beacon of sunlight wavered itself in through the balcony doors, he was up on the seventeenth floor so hey, he was luxurious of getting to fresh air when desired. Beside his peach endeavored desk a file cabinet lounged comfortably with the wall with a typewriter by it's side, sitting atop a brazen box of god knows what. His deepened orange eyes blinked at my appearance.

"Hey, Grampy." I say confidently.

His resonant voice shimmied into my ears. "Ay, my boy. I almost figured you were Luna already returning to counter me when her chess skills," he chuckled. "Impressive but uptight when she's beaten. She can't take a fair beating." "So, you ready to head down to the labs?"

I poked a glance a Fluttershy, checking up on her.

Grampy, his lengthy lab coat scurrying down his flank like a night gown, converted his sitting position to standing on all fours.

"Indeed, I am. Now, what are your reports over again?"

"Over the adversed effect and health issues associated with receiving the incoming medical treatment," I lie smoothly, "You know, stuff in that field. Basic." _Damn, I'm good._

Me, Fluttershy, and Grampy venture our way, I observe through the glass panes noticing ponies and creatures of all sizes being administered a variety of examinations. My eyes intrigued on an actual color other then the cotton that completed the room to a stain of red. I saw the cause of the blood from an almond coated squirrel with bulging eyes, still hacking up its insides. The faculty reared up to rip the curtain around the cot in an instant. My thoughts were in a storming daze.

_What the hell did I just witness?_ I kept silent because I was so mezmorized at what I had just caught a glimpse of. Oh man, I was traumatized and still am. Fluttershy, luckily on her behalf(And mine) didn't catch notice. Her and Grampy were tied up in talking about his work and giving thanks to allowing her to visit the labs. He was just being chubby with his words and actions as usual. In a matter of minutes, we were halted by security.

Grampy revealed his ID, Fluttershy hiding behind him, and we just followed along. Another hall we had to go through, lights more dim and shadows positioning themselves all around, echoing each of our movements. The see through windows spoke in darkened rooms within. It was pretty late so I assumed that the scientists just abandoned their studies for the days outcome.

Finally, Grampy cut off his trotting to turn to a door of vault-like gray and pushed his hoof into a scanner that swiveled celery lines awhile analyzing. A few seconds fly by and a click lighted up my senses as the door opened then. I peeked a eye at the lemon caked pegasus, her butterfly embedded cutie mark shining against the newly founded light emerging from the room from which the door slid exposed with light. I had lone been in this room about once since when I snuck in out of forbidden curiousity, 'course I was apprehended and was brought out of the place, but I still vaguely knew the area well. Memory of a genius, or so I think. Fluttershy had to sqink at the sudden burst of bright lights that exploded from the lab.

Giant glass cages filled majority of the room, creatures of all sorts lie inconsious in the brittle prisons that they slept in. The tiles below me were in frozen white, the light reflecting on it, I could see a blurry vision of my form, looking down.

Fluttershy broke the silence that spiraled around the room.

"Oh, no. We should go," letting her hoof dangle as she held it up, "We wouldn't wanna wake anypony or critters up from their resting."

"Oh, not a worry. That glass is soundproof and vision proof," Grampy explained, "They aren't able to see nor hear any of our movements. Neat, eh?"

"Oh, uhm, sure," she lowered her hoof.

He ambled up to a prickly green table, scattered along it were jumbles of paper scribbled in scientific arts not even I couldn't distinguish. He broke out his magic to stack the papers, grasping them in annoyance.

"Hmmph. Atom's Apple never allows his swelling head to express himself with finite knowledge, " He grumbled, barely audible, "Rotten apple cider he is, as a scientist."

I review Fluttershy, her thoughts set forth on her besieging environment. I obtain the fact she's pretty fascinated at a bat pony, who had just awoken from its slumber.

Grampy cornered to us. "So, you kiddies ready from some learnin'?"

I rounded my eyes at the way he went on with his question, doing it anyways to irritate me.

"Grampy. No."

"Ah c'mere, Fluttershy. I hear you wish to see a certain some bunny."

Her flamingo mane danced as she curved her body at him, excitement thrilling her lashes.

"Angel Bunny?"

He fluttered his head, beckoning her to scoot along with him. They vanish, and I just stuck around. Angel Bunny didn't really like me anyhow, I don't know why, he's just a judgemental rat for all I know. Come to think of it, I may have have called him a rat before. I dont know. Still perplexed on Fluttershy's odd focus on the contained bat pony. I walked cautiously up to it, in attempts to acquire more descriptions from this anonymous charactor.

Its figure detailed in a raven coat, mane a sullen vulture, his eyes beaming out like a fierce cherry. I gave a curious tap of the glass, it isn't laminated, I take note. It pointed out the vibration I had put into the stainless, containment box.

My chest gave a backhanded artic chill. Those blood coating eyes sunk deep in mine. Its mouth proceeded into speaking to me but I hadn't a clue of what it was saying. I release the latches that kept my mouth shut and let myself observed the room for a lever of some sort. Chance doved out of the bed and I caught a button to the rear of the cage. I stomped my hoof to push it in and a voice intercepted the silence that was once available.

"-For you must let me be free." it said in a deep, metallic voice.

"I'm sorry?"

"Release me. Please, I beg of you. I must leave this treachrous prison I have been placed in."

I backed up hesistantly. "What are they doing to you?"

"Release me, then I'll explain."

"Just let me in on it now," I commanded.

He looked tooken aback from my tone, sighing in fortitude.

"I solemnly make an oath to inform you if you get me out if this cramped area, I'll tell you." He was correct, the area had been tiny. I found a lever, stamped below it read **DO NOT OPEN UNLESS AUTHORIZED!. **In my repertoire, I had the veto to either open or leave him contained. The memory of the squirrel have clicked back in the mist of my thoughts. My stomach throbbed sickeningly. _Could this be happening to everypony and creature around here? _I couldn't believe how callous the expressions built on the scientist faces had been figured. They treated the situation like it was a natural occurrence. . .

Before I cognized my actions, the glass fleered up, allowing the escape for the bat-winged pony. The room screeched in flashing scarlet and storming alarms. Moments passed and I caught sight of Grampy, his face contorted in disbelief. Fluttershy had only stood behind him, as terrified and confused as he was. The last thing from that time pass were the cries of Fluttershy and flesh tearing from Grampy's neck, for I was bashed in the head from the flying bat pony.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Spinet.

"Aim Fire, could you slow down?" I huffed, working to catch up to the fastened paced shape speeding way ahead of See Saw and I.

My hooves had grown tiresome so I lacked the force of my speed to an minimum. I had to keep my head down as I ran because well, damn my mane. Flat as it was, it always found a way possible to intercept my eyesight, no matter what I tried.

A second ago, we were all walking oh so very casually down a path of gunky mud and the scent of condensation throughout. Till then now, Aim Fire sunk her teeth into something that clearly enticed her. At last, we were halted by the rushful, intrigued pony that had brought us running in the first place. A questionable object dangled loose in grasp of Aim Fire's teeth. A shine cast from the silver chain that bounced off the suns beam.

It seemed distinct. Deja vu poked the back of my head but I couldn't reflect off my past memories, I had banged my head a few times and well, I couldn't exactly reminiscence the little things.

A treble clef swirled beside a jingling silver bell that softly rang. The dirt rusting over it abducted the fact that it had been left there for days, forgotten. Its essence caused a drastic chill to overpower me indefinitely.

_How in Equestria does that necklace seems so...well-known? _See Saw gawked at it, mystified at it's charming appearance. Aim whipped her jaw into the border of her heavily, unorganized satchel and set the necklace atop a bullet case, black with glazing white reflecting from the suns gaze. "Another item in the bag. If we come across traders, they'd be sure tah accept this stupid necklace," Aim Fire said, beginning to trail back on route, "It's gotta have some great price on it, yah think?" "I bet," I reply, not honestly caring.

We've been walking for two days straight and not even a fresh print to be seen. The moon was in motion to hog the spotlight, indicating that we should most likely set camp for the night. A nice fire to sweat our colds would bout give me a ray of hope to on go my continuance.

"Aim fire, I believe-" I pursued but then interrupted.

"Yeah, yeah." Aim Fire slid her sight all around, then voilà, she spoke up. "'Ver here seems good!"

An apple tree built itself next to the dawn lit glen positioned behind it. The shade looked comfortably well place. We settled our supplies then, ready for some rest. Since beyond the door of yesterdays watch, I had to put off a few hours of sleep and felt like fainting every few moments throughout. One of us over a certain period in the night, would be in charge of patrolling our camp, making absolute sure nothing or anything comes our way and.. You get the idea. In a four leaf clover in a patch of regular clovers, it was See Saw's chance to stay up for a while then was to awake Aim Fire, majority.

I arranged my blanket above the soaking grass that leveled my stance, making myself positive that the edges weren't curled. I despised it and my nerves screeched if my comforter wasn't aligned properly. I had OCD to a minor extent. Okay, to a major extent but it really bugged me to a grieving stage. I took charge of my surroundings, Aim Fire was already bulbing her candle with her incandescent fire maker, settling her body and fixating into a book titled _A Feathers Life, _awhile See Saw had been on her rear, on watch.

Note to take, before this all occurred when Celestia and Luna, especially hadn't been hated by all of Equestria for being too weak because "The Royalty was all of that" in effect they left the kingdom to reside alone, but still offering the control of the moons and suns diversity, I had barely known my two comrades, See Saw wasn't even born yet.

From my travels with them, I'd concluded Aim Fire enjoyed reading as much as See Saw embraced her innocence. See Saw had only to hope this would all in a clamp of a hoof disperse, so she could officially experience playing with actual friends and perhaps have a stable family, that wouldn't get devoured into bits from lethargic, flesh ridding baffles the Royalty has to blame for.

I wasn't able to keep up with my contemplation any longer so before I knew it my vision wavered into darkness. I could only recall a few images from my head amid inconciousness. They seemed so much like memories then dreams to me. My past had been a tad hazy so how could I possible terminate anything was a past thought or dream?

I jumped out of my coat at the hoof quivering on me, mid shake. My eyes exposed Aim Fire in an expression of "Let's get the hell outta here."

"Aim Fire, it isn't my turn yet, leave me a-"

"Get the fuck up,' Aim Fire said, voice raspy and like she had just woke up as well as I.

I brought my head up from dug into my powered blue pillow then my eyes brought me unknown terror. Two stallions hovered guns in our direction with faces of a snake of venom searing out of its teeth. It was still precisely night as told by the distant quarter moon, lighting a bit of our moods.

Like the dolt I was, I started to move my self upwards.

The colt to the right spat his words intimidatingly, "Don't dare to make a move, you hear miss?"

Well, he had some manners I presumed. From the looks of it and me adding their movements up, they were harmless unless insulted highly. So I declared that I shouldn't be a smart flank to them in attempts to start some calamity for my own enjoyment.

They wore bandanna's caked in dry blood and dirt. I pampered my own bandanna of rainbow silk, I won it at a fair. I loved wearing it, I treasured it at my hearts content. I was just drawn to it for some odd reasoning at the time and well, I've wore it since, cleaning it to a certain extent of course. I noticed that See Saw wasn't available in my sights.

_Damn it, See Saw. _I blunder to myself. _No wonder Aim Fire treats you as a liability. _

I'm fully aware that See Saw's young and still a filly, but she's an overly abstracted coward. I'm not meaningfully judgmental whatsoever but it's the element of honesty.

"Give us all your possessions," The one with the nastiest teeth, clenched so his words were devoured by his teeth.

Aim Fire snarled at the two in blithe anger.

"Never! Back your flanks up unless you want them to remain intact!"

The stallion that hadn't open his mouth to speak, clamped a hoof and his voice rose like jolting eyelids, his voice squeaked on his first word during this intervene.

"Shut up and obey us now!" He held his SMG closer to Aim Fire. "We want no trouble."

I painted my voice across our location, taking caution not to attract zomponies.

"Quite frankly, neither do we," He had squeaked again amidst yapping at us, "So hoof everything over."

Aim Fire showered herself in flames and bolted toward them in a sniper shot. She carried her limbs to the stallion who had spoken first, gratifying her aim at him, nailing him critically in the throat. His combat rifle fluttered out of his grasp and struck the ground. His partner was in a stance of loath, too suprized to even move at first.

I sprited at the second stallion, catching him off guard. I didn't dare myself to give him a chance to attack. I drove him roughly down in overpowering might. Aim Fire had been struggling aside me, the unicorn pony had pitched her over, now being above her. He started slamming his hoof in her face, as the blood flooded out , staining his hoof.

Like the smart mare I was, I retreated off the stallion I had been holding down and rushed to her aid, smashing my horn straight into his side, but not enough to puncture his body. Fallen, he whimpered at the pain that swelled his liquid inducing sides. I glanced at Aim Fire, huffing for air, coughing on some blood in the process.

Completely forgetting the pony behind me, my expression had made agonizing impact with the land below me. My head began to spin as I fell to my side. He had winded me, My vision acted like static, I couldn't achieve a observation even if I tried. Darkness was my only companion even after IT happened.


	3. A Constellation Still Unfinished

Chapter 2.

A Constellation Still Unfinished.

**SPINET.**

My eyes connected into reality, but sadly my reality was more of a nightmare. Silver metal bars kept me in a perimeter of a short stick. I noticed Aim Fire crouched beside me, shaking furiously from the frozen atmosphere we were condemned in. I motioned my body standing, starting to observe my surroundings. The moon had been overboard so some light had been a nice engagement in my observations. Aim Fire, I figured, was fast asleep. In the corner of the containment, three alicorns lied. A filly, mane frizzled and puffy of candy corn gazed at me worriedly. I stood where I was awkwardly. I hadn't a clue of this little ponies identification. She had clearly been born in the havoc we now had live in.

Her eyes were like baby green emeralds on a shore of a beach, blasted by Luna's casting night-light.

"Are you one of them?" She questioned, bravely.

I was remarked on how calm she had asked me, considering the experiences I had with See Saw. "One of who?" I knew what she meant, obviously but my ears were ringing in curiosity.

"The meanies."

Well, it was worth a try.

"No. No, I'm not."

I could sense some of her strained muscles began to decrease. I took awareness of the others behind her shifting. One awoke and his eyes bulged out of his sockets. He dashed up to the young filly that I had been conversing with.

"Stay back!"

He commanded roughly. He held the filly as if he was her father, so with magical assumptions I figured that he was in fact the father. The other pony behind him began toward me as well.

_In the name of Equestria.. Cetus? _I didn't want to believe Cetus was in front of me, I shook my head and faced the stallion again. Nope. This really was nightmare. Me and Cetus had a very historical time-line that dated back even when I had befriended Pyros. He was my special somepony for quite a while 'till I left him eventually. A realization transported to me. Atlas had been the one coddling the young filly, I recall Cetus's mother carrying a filly inside her stomach near the time of the Reanimation.

"Stay back, or else," Cetus threatened "heroically".

He had apparently not remembered me. I jumped into a rabbits fur at her lack of noisy movement upon rising from Aim Fire's sleep.

"Who do you think yah are? Where the hell are we?" She inquired.

Cetus heightened his level as he seemed to retain Aim Fire's existence.

"Aim Fire?"

Yeah, a sad piano melody ruptured me into a little pain. It wasn't delightful that he could remember Aim Fire instead of me, considering he never really had knowledge on who she was but I guess I had been trivial with my thoughts.

"Huh? How do yah know my name?"

Taking a step back in void of thought. "It's me, Cetus."

Aim Fire left herself in a state of mind-boggling agitation. I felt a sensation in my skull, it was my own brain sighing.

"Aim Fire, Cetus lived in Ponyville with us, remember?"

The moments went by in sickening silence, then with transit of thought, "Oh, right," she exclaimed in neglect, "Weren't yah the one who hung out with Fluttershy?"

"Yeah," He nodded his head, "Yeah, that was me."

Aim Fire slandered into her less sinister mood, most likely because she took caution of the young filly. She casted her eyes at the cages bottom, trotting to the dull back corner. Atlas had ceased Sweet Tooth, but not removing his eye off of me and especially my red and gray color coded ally. I estimated that he had found himself in her chaos, she was rather the trouble maker, at least from what I had witnessed.

A chill breeze tumbled into my coat, causing me to shiver lightly. The metallic surface didnt give a slight friendship, since it was a conductor it would seem much more like it was possible that absolute zero had been existent. To the best of all of our luck, my back had felt bits of drizzle pounding against it, so rain, like that could possible accommodate our suffering. Cetus reversed himself from his view, aiding his father to cover his young sister from the incoming rain.

I cleared my throat for my question to be brought out clearly.

"May I ask who has captured us?"

"A pack of wild ponies, that's for certain," answered Atlas, voice shaken.

Then, it hit me like a baseball bat clunked the ball into a home run. The team of stallions had brought us here, after I was knocked out by the one I let out of my grasp, so in all logical sense that one mistake converted our mindless walking to this containment that could lead us to death. Well, great. How fantastic is this situation we're stuck in now. I was highly tempted to challenge Cetus where his mother was, but I had the decency of knowledge that she could be long gone and bringing up memories that could shatter glass tears would make matter much worse.

See Saw hadn't been acknowledged in the cage, she had retreated in the beginning. So much for her support, but I was more in worry if she was safe. I'm at least a tad satisfied at her escape. Cetus had been eying me ever since I positioned my body next to Aim Fire, who had been day dreaming. My hoof found it's essence on top of her shoulder.

She began to speak balefully. "See Saw isn't even here, instead she's probably cowarding behind the tree still."

So, she had been at the back of the tree stationed behind us. Aim Fire gave a detail on how she had known of her whereabouts around the time.

"I told her to wait there, not to come out. I saw the two making their way toward us while it was mah turn to guard." She sighed, hinting a bit of pity.

"I wanted tah reassure that I had the situation under control, then when I saw the guns, yah know."

She had tore my sleep open like a giant birthday present, revealing my consciousness to an unaware situation. She let out a dash of gas-like dry ice and settled herself into a sleeping place. I went along beside her, allowing my warmth to satisfy with hers. Outside the bars that held us into this, not a star beamed in the sky, only the moon casted at the out lands. Only in the fraction of one out of four sides had a dull metal blockage, I took in my analysis to assume that fraction that was blocked off, had been the campsite in which the stallions that had been residing there. Throughout this forever-lasting shiver blasting night, I heard a few sneezes and coughing so I had been precise on my accusations.

**Cetus.**

I had my reasons for pretending to only recognizing Aim Fire instead Spinet. We had a history and I wanted to reduce any type of conflict that could've been brought on. I mean, she broke up with me so I figured she not wanted to have even a thought of my existence. I soon told myself that I may have hurt her feelings, but it's not like I meant to, or even wanted too. I spent the night hovering my adolescent sister and keeping watch of my father. Gladly on my behalf, his panic attack from earlier gave him lack of energy and instead allowed him persistence to sleep. After forcing myself to make absolute sure he and Sweet Tooth was asleep, I fell into a dream.

I have a mental ability, it's lucid dreaming. I am able to take action in my dreams and have full awareness that it is a dream, it's a great advantage for no reoccurring nightmares like the partial of my filly-hood. Usually, the dream would always be jam packed with objects I love of, of course this world being safe again. If only, this all would be a dream, but it isn't. I did hope that one day, just one day the lands of Equestria would began anew, with harmony.

By the next dawn, I morphed into a frosted window pane, breaking the ice by a mini jump scare from a nearby banging sound. I was as ear-screeching as a knife scraping across a schoolroom chalkboard. I sprinted up to investigate throughly where the shrilling noise had been coming from. I appeared to be the other side of the closed wall that defending their camp aside from us. When I had been fully cautious and awake, I captivated insight it was the guillotine. I recollected my findings in short exploration from being shoved in this cage of scrutiny, having to be in the scents of droppings because they didn't provide us that luxury, and they had cleaned the guillotine every morning so they were offered by it's infamous glory and its speed of killing.

We've been stuck here for three days now. Day after day, my family and I were in vigor to overhear the sufferings and fleshy cracks of heads being chopped from the neck or limbs if the murderers were feeling frolic to make the ponies die slowly with the pain still attached. My stomach would swerve into wanting to vomit but I held back to be brave for my sister and father. Every pony was all eyes like a filly in fear of lightning from the immense sound of the gruesome murder machine. Spinet and Aim Fire had been more terrified at where the arcane music of hideous howls created by cleaning the guillotine was, I brought them the explanation they deserved. "It's a guillotine," strengthening my lungs to overpower the noise.

"What the hell?" Aim Fire, in a fretful gaze at the forbidden wall, spoke.

In time of what seemed to be a million decades, the noise was footprints on a winter moon. I felt the feeble shaken breaths seize out of her mouth, telling me I should coddle her closer to me to make positive she was absolutely warm. For a few hours of ringing silence and the distant voices and actions from the camp hidden behind the furtive wall, a voice spoke taking me aback.

"Pst. Hey." The voice called to our focus.

I steamed my eyes to shape the figure and then I understood it was her. Quartet, the one who defended us the night of my mothers end and our capture, speak to us every round of Celestia's sun to confirm progression on how getting us out of here was looking. She'd been trying to obtain a key but I could see how it's a harsh statement. I rose myself off my sister who was still aching from a frozen state, promising that I wouldn't take a while planning with Quartet. Her mane was swooped in charming silver with a bobby pin and her coat was chanting wounds that burrowed into her beautiful blue fur. Her oral soundings eased my ears as she the whiff of food coiled my nostrils.

A sack of carrots, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, apples, and more choices that I was dying to consume was there in the reflection of my eyes.

"I brought plenty more for the other residents, I didn't want to let them feel left out," she whispered serenely.

She hoofed me to bag and I gathered all of its contents, of course leaving the occasional apple and few other foods she very much enjoyed. As much as I desired food, I never let greed succeed to me, I was a selfless stallion then.

"Thank you so much, Quartet," I said in mouthwatering gratitude.

She stretched her face in a faint smile, acting skittish as that was one of her personality traits. She induced a reminder of Fluttershy and our days before this world that we once knew as a peaceful, crazy yet fun-loving place where the cupcakes in everyponys heart was pure and innocent. But, now all those happy memories are just sentimental value that calms my nerves and ties me in knots of hope. Sweet Tooth trotted her way up to me and I gave her the food so she and my father could fill themselves with the control that feeds the grumbling that lurks when unfed.

Aim Fire set fire to our distance, interrogating Quartet as if she was a suspect in a crime of a murderous rampage that went about, hunting fillies or so.

"Free us now, whore!" Spinet reared up behind, granting her lack of strength to stinking her hoof out of the box that binded us in on room and damaging her.

"Aim Fire!" She spat out like blood gushing wound, "Stop!" Quartet's beautiful lime eyes shimmered in such awe, her mouth had been gaping out a bit aside of that.

Her eyes became watery in disbelief. The way she stared at Spinet was odd, I asked myself did they know each other?

"Spi-Spinny?" Quartet coughed up in a stutter.

Spinet's mouth drooped within a moments period as she was riddled in recognition at the drop of that name.

"Quarrel?"

Everypony asked that same question from their positions, my father barely awake in the back with my little sister slightly ahead of him. Aim Fire had the most expressioned look of "What in the living hell are these idiots talking about?" where I stood there confused as an apple on a banana tree. The sky had been an icicle of insane penguin weather, even the metal beneath us began to feel as slick as a thief. My breath soared out into clouds eager to figure out what the situation is bringing us. I then had an epiphany. Their coats had been closely identical. . .

"Oh my god, I thought you were dead," Spinet had gentle flowing tears, recycling in her muzzle. "Me too," Quartet replied in gleeful shock. I just had to have a crush on her sister, didn't I?

**Spinet.**

Right before my eyes, I found her. Quartet, my sister. You know that sensation when you borrow an item from a friend and then you shatter its way of existing, drilling a hole of disbelief in your sprinkling chest. That's what I experienced, intense disbelief that my sister had been surviving this whole time in this rebuilt Equestria. She was a touch older than I, therefore she was already living in her own home in Canterlot, owning a part time job that involved musical talents. I lived in Ponyville, attending my last year in school, so we didn't get to see each other much. We visited each other time to time but we had been so caught up in our studies, we hadn't spoke about 3 months prior of the Reanimation. So, seeing her there in front of me, safe and sound.

The necklace, the necklace had belonged to her. A distant memory persuaded me, taking me aback a time where her special somepony had given her the necklace, Fathom. It came clear to me that that was her necklace, and that was why it stalked me into figuring why its pressure was so seemingly informal.

"This is unbelievable," Quartet laughed intently, "I mean all this time, I'd thought you-"

"Right back at you," I said, my mind still in a frantic knot.

I noticed Aim Fire let loose of her eagerness to go into a temper fit, Cetus had been fairly surprised as well. Cetus had not an idea she even existed, as far as I've said. All he really did was talk about himself, so I never had a chance as close as to mention her. A question swerved in my thoughts as opposed to where we were.

"What are you doing here? I mean, why aren't you in a cage or anything?"

"I'm one of the soldiers here, "She hesitated, "I come to visit Cetus and his family to give them proper food and..keep them.. Spinet?"

"Huh?" I said, my teeth clenched and my head was in a was able to tell I was a bit enraged.

I felt as if though it was a convulsion of jealousy but I meant it to be concern for where her relationship with Cetus was heading, I had experienced her in a tremendous state of depression from stallion heartbreak and there was no way, even in this living hell I was gonna let an ass like Cetus take a single tear from her.

"Wait, you guys are blood related?" Cetus, probably with a million thoughts spreading inside his shriveled toddler brain of his, questioned.

"Yes," answered Quartet, "How ironic she gets placed in this cage."

Come to have a thought of it, it was queer that we ended up here. What are the odds? I held up a conversation on how she had ended up in the pair of my eyes. She had been existing in her home with her special somepony, Phantom.

He had been cool, a director but he was uncool when she brought amongst the fact he left her for some hotshot actress. Cetus repetitively paced eagerly, most like in regret for thinking he can cross horns with my sister. Aim Fire kept her mouth to a glimpse a while, then open sesame.

"Oy, hoof over the bobby pin," she ordered, walking over to her expecting her to magically give it up without thought from her mane.

Well what do you know, in Aim Fire's possession it went. not even a sliver of hesitation came to her. After an interval, Aim Fire put all her focus into hacking into the door's lock. A cramp could be detected with a great amount of excessive cursing. The bobby pin then reappeared out of its primitive form, broken in half. Sweet Tooth galloped up to my ferocious ally, shaking her puffy mane. Out arrived a few candy wrappers, a cupcake tray, cookie crumbs, a three bobby pins. Aim festered in excitement, but made certain it was kept to herself.

After her second attempt, the cage squealed ajar in conclusion, leaving Aim with one bobby pin. In Apple Jack's element of honesty, I was astounded beyond belief. With over easy sagacity, Aim Fire had the handy dexterity of picking a lock and the door to our cell had been set free. I laughed contently at this marvelous sight, a gap of hope indented itself in my chest.

Aim Fire, her crimson mane frizzled from the cold and the skies shivering tears, heightened her hoof to serve her statement.

"Now, clearly our items and collectibles arent with us, but with yur help," glaring at Quartet, her wrench portrait like mane dangled along her lashes, having to tuck her mane behind her ears, "we can retrieve them."

"Then be on our way, right? "I asked, well knowing Aim Fire wouldn't agree to leave without a fight.

"No. There are many other cages that need an empty'n will be our final step, but first we need to raise some hell, pony style."

"But, that'll attract the cannibals!" Atlas, impartial able the plan Aim fire was conducting, "They'll be tracking our way."

"No, it'll be tracking their way." Aim fire protested, "I've got an alarm grenade in my bag."

The alarm grenade had been invented from in the herd by a mare named Retro Nostalgia, she was very crafty in mechanics if you were to gossip to me about her but she had been gamare by flank. The AG(alarm grenade) had been activated if only ripping off the cap, and letting it blaze loudly, only to be petrified when contacted with water, but it also contained a hint of caesium so a short distance was to be known at its biggest caution when settling down. It's very useful but they were to be at watch from since they were sensitive to the max.

After about a rabbits thump, Aim Fire flooded us with her escape plan she thought so vigoriously about. She had been in a below transit in hopes her plan would be attained without a sudden extra bunk of this bed we were trying to make.

Those stallions were in for a real treat tonight.


End file.
